Well Here I go with my first review. Final Fantasy 9 is a good game. It as some work to be as good as others in the series, but in my view, this is one game that was never given the credit it deserves. Living in the shodows of two great games can give people....high expactations. And this one might not live up to those. If your reading this and just finished playing through F.F 7 and 8 either give it some time and then play this with an open mind, or just play with in open mind. Now lets take a look at the game....

This game had a really good, unique story, like Final Fantasy has been known for. I liked how the story focused on having the character discover themselves. Friendship played a big part in this game, and I thought that was really a good outlook for the game. I guess I should explain some of the game huh...Well it starts of with you on the ship Tantalus with your fellow thieves. your going to the castle to kidnap the Princess. So the begining doesnt sound to great but the game gets better, kinda. Im not gonna talk about it to much cause I dont want to spoil things for those of you who havent played the game yet. Now as you go on the game does develop that save the world story that many games have, which is what I didnt care for. I liked how at first it was a crazy power driven queen trying to take over the kingdoms on her continent. But later in the game it turns in save the world from the crazy bad guy (who was kinda cool). So it was good, but turned into a repeat of many other stoylines, yet stayed unique in its own way. There were some things that were left unexplained and the one that I wish they would have expanded on the most was how Sir Fratley last his memory. But what can you do. So overall I thought the story line had a good start, with a weak part twards the end, but ended quite well.

I for one Im not one who rates a game by graphics, so just so you know this will be the shortest part in my reviews and wont have an effect on the overall score. Its just for those who care about graphics. Final Fantasy 9's graphics were very good for its day. The cut scenes are amazing even to todays standards. But I think that the graphics dont look as good as those of Final Fantasy 8, or Star Ocean: The Second Story. But the backgrounds are beautiful, the caracters are all amazingly detailed and unique. So overall final Fantasy 9 has wonderful graphics that I think couldnt have been done much better.

I think the characters were really this games strong point. The main characters are Zidane, Garnet, Vivi, Stiener, Quina, Freya, Eiko, and Amarant. I thought each and everyone of these characters were wonderful. But I do wish, out of all of them Amarant would have played more of a part in the game. Throughout the game it bacisly focuses on Zidane, Garnet and Eiko. And most the game focuses on Vivi also, but past a certain point, it turns to Zidane and Garnets story. I really liked all the charaters. My personal favorite was most everyones least favorite, Quina. I thought that he err...she....lets just say 'it' was good for a luaghs through out the game. Its a character I can relate to. Its hungry all the time, like me. Lol The bad guys were well done too. I thought that Kuja was also a cool, yet girly esque bad guy. He is one powerful sucker though. So he was cool, but these arent bad guys that you would be scared of by looking to them or listening to them. Hes just to calm all the time, it doesnt give him any flare, like some of the best bad guys of video games, like Sephiroth. But he gets better at the end. Anyway the game had good character of which you could find out about quite abit of through side quests. I just wish they would have played more apart through the whole game. I dont like the fact that past a certain point, it becomes two characters story and the others are basicly on the side line. This is the whole reason I cant give the game a ten. But with characters as cool and vivid as they are I can let this effect the whole score much.

Plain and simple, it was a Final Fantasy soundtrack. Every song fits the correct moment in the game. But this one just didnt have any memoriable songs like Final Fantasy 7 or 8. But it was a good soundtrack. When I dont turn it off and turn on some kind of secular music, its a good soundtrack. And for the other sound effects, the one I have to say was really cool, was that every time Stiener(Rusty) walked it made that clanking noise that metal makes when it hits the floor. I thought that was kinda funny, and cool.

Well the battle system was average. Its your basic Active Time Battle system, so just a step up from turn based. But in this case, you die if your not paying attention!! Isnt that fun? Lol But its some of the other things that make the gameplay good on this game. Your equipment plays a big part of this game because most every item has a special ability on it. Being either a attack/healing/support ability or just a regular ability that you can use can equip to be atomaticly used during battles. Now each character has their own abilities, but there are some that every character can learn like Jelly and Clearminded. So basicly just the ones that prevent status ailments. At the end of each battle you'll get both experience and AP(Ability Points) But the equipment adds an extra bit of fun for some an anoince to others, to the game, because through equipment is the only way you can learn some of your rarest and strongest abilities. The trance system in my opinion, was the worst part of the whole gameplay scenario. Ive always likes the limit breaks. I look forward to getting them so I can see the animation for the new limit break. But these trances are just dumb, they don't add much, or any, to the element of gameplay. Dont take something good and change it...All in all in my view, this game didnt offer anything that I havent seen before. And what it did offer that was new wasnt any good. But I did like the ability learning system, that was a plus.

Hmmm, well in the ways of replay, theres quite abit. There isnt really an alternate ending to be had. If you do one of the side quests it will add a short scene to the ending of the game, but thats it. Now mini games are were this game flurishes. There a some really good mini games, the Frog Catching mini game was fun and a good way to get extra items, including Quinas best equipment item. And once you've caught 100 frogs you get to do a boss battle which was a nice addition. Next was the Chocobo Digging side quest. In this one you go to one of three areas with your Chocobo, and dig. This is a good way to get items like Potions and Antidotes, and some extra gil. But while your digging you'll dig up Chocographs. Now these you use to go around the whole world map and dig up treasure boxes. And this is also the wya to upgrade your Chocobo. Certain treasure chests lead you to the place were the Fat Chocobo well upgrade your Chocobo. But these treasure chests give you some of the best equipment items in the game. But it diffenetly will take some time, so be patient cause its not easy to find some of these. Then there was the Jump Roping mini game. That game wasted alot of my time, and I still never got the best item, cause you have to get a ridiculus 2000 jumps or something like that. If you've done that, congradulate your self. Then there was the Card game. This was a major disapointment. I really liked the card game on 8, but this one was no were near as fun. Play it if you want, but its not much point. There are a few hidden side bosses also like Ozma whos hard as all get out, and Hades who is more then worth the trouble to beat. He allows you to Syncranize the item of which gives you the best summon in the game. So overall the mini games, side boses and other side queats give this game alot of of replay value. It all just depends on how mush you liked the game if you play again.

So overall Final Fantasy 9 is a very good game, but the part of the story and more importantly the gameplay just felt to much like the same thing that I've been seeing for years. If it wasnt for a strong cast of characters and some very good mini games this game would fall short of a lot of other RPG's. But in reality it isnt as good as Final Fantasy 7 or 8. But it is good in its own way. When you play though make sure you give time to doing the side quests, because this is how you learn about the story behind most of the characters, and playing the mini games as they are what make this game, in my point of view.